DEBT FROM THE PAST

Leena finally removed her helmet after a long while, when she found herself alone in the quarters that was provided for her. It took her days on Nar Shaddaa to feel such a familiar yet powerful presence on this moon. The apprentice sat down on the bed, taking up the lightsaber of her late husband. Her companion. Her friend.

He wanted the Empire to strive away from the old ways and prosper along with the future. But Leena knew that the Sith were too stubborn to separate themselves from selfish reasons, her Master was an example of that. They were more focused on elevating themselves in a nonsense political war against one another than to ally themselves and focus on the destruction of the Republic and their Jedi.

When she was young, she thought the galaxy to be mystery and legend – and her mother had the power to command armies and burn down systems as she saw fit. Then the Jedi drove her and her family apart, they still owe her years of torture for what they did to her mother. She wanted them to pay for the death of her brothers.

She still remembered the feeling of the cold atmosphere on her skin, the empty cries of the soldiers who fell, the color of her sister's eyes. After more than a decade of being away from her family, after everything she's been through – peace is a lie. The galaxy is an intricate place. Where people think they're doing the right thing, but it has consequences that no one could ever imagine.

She remembered Arrun saying that the Force is a paradox. It empowers and imprisons. It destroys and unites. It binds the galaxy together and tears people apart and she knew that he was right. It was a kind of paradox that was forced upon her – it empowered her and at the same time, it was the cause of her imprisonment by Baras. It united with Arrun and destroyed them both where she least expected. It brought them together but it also tore them apart.

This whole conflict against the Jedi – started with misdirected passion. The destruction of the Sith and the Jedi was all that ever mattered to them.

Leena lay down on the bed, closed her eyes trying to sleep within the darkness of her quarters. But the pain she experienced was slowly being recalled by her body and mind. She knew that she shouldn't be alive, but the Force has a plan for her.

I see into your soul. Leena turned as she could feel a familiar sense of pain across her body. A shock that was never welcome. Who are you?

Leena opened her eyes in shock, taking deep breathes as she looked around the room. But there was no one there with her, she doesn't have a safeguard anymore – something to make the noises in her head go away. Arrun was gone and the voices came back, at the same time, the voices were different.

Listen. The voice spoke the very works it kept telling her for years now. Just keep listening.

Leena climbed out of the bed and wore her robes, feeling something strange through the moon of Nar Shaddaa. Something was odd and she could feel it just right outside of her quarters. When her doors opened, the apprentice began to hear voices coming from the main room where the holoterminal was placed.

There she found Quinn having a word with Baras, she didn't take a step forward but rather remained hidden and overheard the conversation by choice.

"I'm pleased that she's doing her job well, Captain." Baras praised. It wasn't surprising for the Sith to find her own captain giving reports to her Master, after all, Baras told her that Quinn owed him his career. Though Leena didn't know Quinn well on a personal level, she knew her Master. "Make sure she does her job well and we will have no complications. I can only assume that my apprentice is still on the stage of grieving for her late husband."

Quinn looked up to Baras as if he was shocked by this little information. Leena on the other hand, had her arms wrapped around her as she stayed on her spot in silence. The captain couldn't help but just nod at Baras's words, he had a glance by the corridor where Leena's quarters were placed. He wasn't a dense military man. He could sense that someone was there – he didn't need the Force to know that. "I assure you, Lord Baras, I will make sure that your apprentice will have no complications with the task at hand."

"Good, and remember this Quinn – Leena Sern is irreplaceable, for now." With the conversation ended, Quinn turned to the direction of where the apprentice stayed and lowered his head. "My Lord, you should rest."

"At ease Captain," Leena spoke tiredly as she walked towards him. "You are off duty, as am I."

"I'll keep that in mind." He paused for a moment. "Is it safe for you to leave your quarters with your face fully revealed?"

"Does my face bother you, Quinn?"

"No, not at all my Lord. In fact, I find your face refreshing. But you do seem tired, my Lord."

"I don't often get a good night's sleep." The apprentice admitted as the two of them walked towards the table, with her sitting down on the chair. Leena sighed and looked at the captain. "In fact, I don't even remember the last time I had a good night's sleep. Voices come to haunt me at night, must be odd for you, listening to the problems of a Sith."

"We are only human, my Lord. The mysteries of the Force are an enigma to me, I am in no place to question you – you are my general, I shall back you up."

The Sern smiled. "Tell me, Quinn, what do you want?"

"My… lord?" He grew confused at the sudden question.

"What do you want?" She asked once more, with a smile upon her lips. Quinn was already used to the common procedure in serving a Sith Lord. Do not question the Master or you will find yourself in a grave, six feet below the ground or possibly out of the space as you freeze to death.

But despite the corrupted color of her eyes, she seemed to be genuinely curious about asking. "I want to see you succeed in your tasks, my Lord and show the Empire that you are the way for greatness."

"Why?"

"You have a title, a legacy, a vision for a better Empire. But you something more than that. You may cover it up and even deny it my Lord, but I could tell that you have a gentle heart. You will not only be respected and feared, but you will also be loved. Ever since our encounter on Balmorra, there are times when I look at you and I still can't believe you're real."

Leena nodded, acknowledging his words. He couldn't forget how much of an impression the Sith left on Balmorra and he couldn't forget how her Master could treat her like an animal, as much as he couldn't forget the first glance, he had of her without the helmet.

Leena stood up and walked towards the Captain, standing in front of him calmly, with her hand gently resting on his shoulder while she whispered: "Betray me to Baras again, and I'll send him your head. Remember this, Quinn – for him, you are easily replaced." Stepping back, Quinn didn't need to look in her eyes to know how deadly serious she is.

This relationship between Master and apprentice wasn't just sour but, a dangerous rivalry that he found himself into. "Whatever you report to Baras, I will need to know. Whatever Baras has on you, I will free you. And whatever secrets I have, Baras should never know. You will protect my secrets, my interests if you value the Empire above everything else. Do you understand, Captain Quinn?"

"Yes, my Lord." He nodded.

"Kneel and pledge yourself to me, Malavai Quinn."

And Quinn did, without any second thoughts. "I pledge myself to you, Leena Sern. I swear to obey your every command for the rest of my life."

"Will you betray me again?" Leena asked, having Quinn lift up his head and finding himself lost into her eyes. She repeated. "Will you betray me again, Malavai Quinn?"

"Never."

"What do you want Quinn?" Quinn suddenly grew confused even more. He already told her what he wanted, what more can he want? "Not as a soldier who wishes to have a striving future for the Empire, but as a man. What do you want?"

"Home."

Satisfied, the apprentice went back to her chambers without another word. Quinn gave out a sigh, he gave his word to this Sith apprentice over the man who gave him a second chance for his career. But even he wasn't stupid enough to know how Baras would kill off people who are no longer of use to him. He felt that Leena Sern to be a safer bet and at the same time, he knew that she was something that could bring the Empire further into greatness.

"I pray for home too." She gave out a bitter smile.

She sometimes wondered what home would be like. All these years she felt that she was stuck inside of a cage, being forced to accept the bloody nature of the Sith. How weakness could never be allowed, how it could only dig up her own grave when she gives in.

The following day, Quinn remained silent as he was accompanying his Lord and the Twi'lek on this mission at hand. It didn't take long for them to reach the area where the Imperial soldiers and Republic troopers were trying to gun each other down, Havoc did have a great reputation, especially under their commanding officer named Frasmi.

These were fellow soldiers of the Sith Empire that stood in their way, Quinn did wonder how his Lord would handle this. Obviously, these soldiers wouldn't back down, they wouldn't take orders that didn't come from their Lord. It was rather difficult to serve Sith, every Imperial soldier knew that. The Captain expected that she would at least slice them open with her lightsabers, but he was proven wrong.

Vette didn't even dare to draw out her blasters when Leena raised her hand casually, the soldiers placed down their guns and remained there when they passed by. Using the Force to influence someone's mind was always a possibility he heard from his superiors, and there he was witnessing the non-violent route his Lord took.

"Men, fall back! Rally here!" Called in the General as he immediately turned his attention towards the Sith who dared interrupt their operation. "My Lord, what is the meaning of this? We are on the verge of striking a major blow to the Republic! I am General Kligton, commanding on the authority of Sith Lord Rathari, appointed to Nar Shaddaa by the Dark Council! Why do you attack the Empire's men?"

"No Imperial soldier suffered on my way here, General." The Sith apprentice claimed. "If Rathari shows himself, no one else will suffer." All she wanted was where Rathari is located, nothing more, nothing less.

"He is attending to other matters." Claimed Kligton, but he came to a realization of who she is. "You belong to Darth Baras. I was given instructions to destroy you if you were foolish enough to show your face here."

"You'd be wise to ignore those instructions, General," Leena warned.

"Oh, I think not. You are surrounded, and we far outnumber you. Full attack!" Leena sighed as she took out one lightsaber, igniting it as the soldiers dared to turn their guns at them.

Shooting towards a Sith didn't really matter to them, they were following orders. Vette and Quinn immediately took out their blasters and stood on the defensive as their Lord did.

"Watch my six." The apprentice spoke as she began to block the attacks. Striking down soldiers one by one, as the other two were looking out for Leena in the process.

Taking down the General was a waste and at the same time, necessary for what she needed to do. Of course, Quinn didn't like the idea of putting waste to the Empire but – he tried to understand what was going in her mind.

When they approached the Republic area, a woman stood in front of his Lord, removing the helmet – the Havoc CO was a woman not far from her age. Red hair and ocean blue eyes, she seemed strict and disciplined as soldiers are made to be. "Sith, I am Captain Yantte Frasmi. I'm in charge of this defensive. I'm unarmed."

"You risk much approaching me weaponless." Leena praised.

"Even I know that a blaster or even a canon wouldn't save me."

"Then have your men follow suit and things would go well for you, Captain." She had her demands and the Republic Captain nodded.

"Weapons down, men!" Frasmi turned back to the Sith, Vette could feel the tension between these two women and none of them wish to go any further with what just happened. "We do not wish to fight, but we also cannot relinquish this area. What are your terms?"

"You live only by my good grace. I may have need of your someday, and you will repay my mercy." Quinn looked at his Lord. She was taking on resources on times such as this. It was wise of her to do so.

Surprisingly, with a heavy heart, Captain Frasmi nodded. "Very well. If your mission does not conflict with Republic interests. I pledge to help you. Here is my holofrequency. I will answer your call, you have my word. Until we meet again Sith." Frasmi then turned to her men, her XO didn't seem to be happy about the exchange. "The battle has ended here. Attend to the wounded."

Vette on the other hand, couldn't help but smile to find that Leena wasn't giving in to her emotions too much. The Sith apprentice she knew for years was still in there, and she couldn't help but notice their Captain stealing glances of her friend. It was too early to assume things, Vette knew that and at the same time, it would be too early for Leena to even find another man. Before they could even leave the area – someone was already contacting Quinn through his commlink.

It didn't take long for an image of Halidrell Setsyn to pop up. "My Lord! My base! My base is under attack! The last of my men and I are holed up in the command center. But the doors are about to give!"

"We'll be right there, Halidrell. Try to hold on." Leena assured.

"Doing the best I can. But I… I got a bad feeling about this. Ahh!" The transition immediately cut off. The natural response would be for the apprentice to rush back to headquarters and see if they could still save their liaison and her men. But deep down inside the apprentice, she knew that she would never make it – regardless of how much effort she would put into it.

When they arrived, all they could find were dead bodies from left and right. Halidrell was right near the holocom, the apprentice walked towards her body – removing her helmet while Quinn and Vette stood on a defensive position with their blasters out. All Leena could do was look at the woman, before opening the holoterminal in front of them.

The image of Halidrell and who she assumed to be Lord Rathari appeared, a message was left for the apprentice. "It's clear, Darth Baras failed to inform you exactly who'd you be crossing. This demonstration should make up for that deficiency."

Vette couldn't watch as Ratthari strangled Halidrell with the Force, Quinn, and Leena on the other hand – watched as if it was another normal day in the galaxy. "You want Agent Dellocon, you want me. I won't be hard to find anymore. I will be on the roof of the satellite platform in Network Access. If you dare show yourself tomorrow, I will grant you a duel to the death. Be honored."

"Hah, he's a moron if he thinks we're gonna walk into such an obvious ambush… right?" Vette turned to the apprentice, hoping for an assurance.

"Captain Frasmi and her men owe me their lives, and I mean to collect. Quinn, hail her. Now." The apprentice issued her command, as she wore her helmet once more.

"Yes, my Lord. Patching her through now." Obeyed the captain.

"Well, this is unexpectedly fast… I had a feeling you'd call, Sith. Can't say I'm looking forward to this." Frasmi openly admitted, not even showing effort to conceal her emotions.

"You should be pleased to wipe the slate clean between us, Captain and do try to keep your insecurities to yourself."

"I can only hope that what you ask will not undermine the Republic, and a soldier pays her debts. Tell me what you want."

"I'm about to give you the opportunity few have ever seen, how does the destruction of a Sith Lord sound, Captain?" It was an interesting offer, coming from a Sith herself. Frasmi didn't know why, or how could she even explain this to Jorgan and her men, but she didn't need the Force to know that she could truly trust this Sith.

There's something about her that, even Frasmi couldn't explain. This familiar pattern. The amusement of the offer made her smirk. "Now you'll see how Havoc squad gets things done, give me the time and coordinates Sith."

"Quinn." Her captain immediately nodded and sent the coordinates and a note on the time they should meet. When Frasmi received the needed information, she nodded and looked at the Sith.

"I can do this in my sleep. Maybe I will."

"I prefer to deal with death more directly to my opponents, Captain."

"Get my medal ready, this will be for the records." When the transmission ended, Leena turned to Vette. "I will call it a night, see if there's anything we could eat for the evening. We'll need all the rest we could get."

"My Lord, if I may," Quinn spoke. "I would like to tend to your bruises."

"And here I thought I could get away with it." Said the apprentice as she slowly removed her helmet once more. Releasing a sigh as she gazed into Quinn's curious blue eyes. "Do as you wish Captain."

With a stern tone, Leena turned around and proceeded to her quarters. Vette took one look at Quinn before she proceeded to get some food and get some cleaning done.

Quinn proceeded to his Lord's chambers to find her removing bits of her armor, and like any other servant – he placed down his datapad and proceeded to assist her on doing so. Silence surrounded them, Leena didn't mind that he was assisting on the removal of her armor – as long as he didn't have any funny ideas in his mind.

Once her armor as a whole was removed, the apprentice proceeded to remove the long-sleeved shirt she was wearing revealing a couple of bruises she suffered from the conflict. A well-built woman with a nice figure, Quinn took note of that as he proceeded to scan her for any additional injuries.

Leena closed her eyes while Quinn continued with his work. From time to time he would steal glances at her face, to see if she was showing any sign of emotion. He should bother much with the past of his Lord and Master but – even when she's Sith, she's still human with emotions. The heavy loss of her husband must have been a burden to her, a kind of burden she didn't want anyone else to know.

Vette of all beings should know. He could only assume that the slave has been with her the longest. Seven years isn't a short while after all. With his more recent service to her and away from Balmorra – even a soldier like him couldn't handle the silence that surrounded them. "Permission to speak freely, my Lord?"

"You may always speak freely, Quinn. I believed I briefed you on that before." Leena opened her eyes, having direct contact with the Captain.

"Of course, my Lord." He continued with his work. "There's a reason I languished on Balmorra before you arrived. A decade ago, I served under Moff Broysc at the Battle of Druckenwell. Moff Broysce made a critical oversight that brought the fleet to the brink of complete defeat. I ignored his order and turned the tide to victory."

"Then you are to be commended." The Sith smiled in amusement.

"That's not how the Moff saw it." She then frowned. "Broysc took credit for the reversal, which is fine, but he then court-martialed me. Darth Baras assigned me to Balmorra or my career would have been over. Moff Broysc has blocked every transfer and promotion I've been up for since."

"I have no tolerance for fools like this Moff." Quinn approves of her statement, but that wasn't all she had to say to her captain. "If you were under my father's command, he would have valued you like the son he always wanted."

"I could say more about him, my Lord, but my point is made. I officially serve you now, I have no regrets." From his Lord's statement – her father must have had an impressive rank and record within the Imperial military. "You don't have any brothers, my Lord?"

"I used to." Leena sighed as she leaned forward, her elbows resting on her knees. She didn't seem to mind sharing such personal information, after all, she had no more connection with her family. "I was too young to remember the event but, I was told that my home was attacked by the Republic and their Jedi. Killed my mother along with my brothers, father barely spoke about."

"If I may, my Lord, how were you separated from your father?"

"He gave me a way to the Sith. Haven't seen him, or heard a word from him since. As the years go by, I find myself not caring anymore about what happened to him or my sister. She used to send me messages but one day they just stopped. It's either that or I'm too broken to even feel anything else besides anger and vengeance." Or so she told herself this lie.

"Is this related to your late husband, my Lord?" When Leena turned her eyes back on the Captain, he immediately realized his mistake. "Forgive me, my Lord, I forgot my place—"

"No. Baras already told you that I might still be grieving for him, and even if he didn't – you were about to find out sooner or later." The apprentice stood up and took her robes, stretching out her arms before turning back to her captain. "I'm certain you're already aware of the Sith-powerplay game, military men such as yourselves are always in the middle even when you didn't ask to."

"When Baras found me, he saw what all masters live to see. Raw, untamed power and beyond that something truly special." The apprentice continued her tale. "He trained me, taught me – like any other apprentice in the Empire, it was lacking compared to the rest but… I have managed. At the same time, he would beat me, torture me and humiliate me when he had the chance. He would try and tame me like a common animal. So, if you're tempted to sell me out, Captain, remember this – I can hunt you down if you even try."

"I'll keep that in mind, my Lord." She was even more dangerous than he originally thought.